Not sure if WW (or any diet program) is for me... can you help?
Hi Kids. I am ready to do an official diet, but have questions for those who know the ropes. From what I've heard, WW is the best 'lifestyle' diet, which isn't about selling food, etc. and is the most successful in using long term. Is this correct?
More questions :
Is the on-line as good as the actual town meetings?
I am a chef (okay, not professional, but I won't ever stop cooking my WholeFoodsFromScratch, but realize I need to learn to cook with losing weight (then maintaining) in mind ~ so can it work for me?
I absolutely loath the idea of counting calories (since I eat very little prepared foods), but realize that portion control is just as important , or more. Also, learning what having enough food in my belly feels like. Drawing on all of your expert advice, can you tell me your thoughts if WW , or any diet program , can work for me?
I am a chef (okay, not professional, but I won't ever stop cooking my WholeFoodsFromScratch, but realize I need to learn to cook with losing weight (then maintaining) in mind ~ so can it work for me?
I absolutely loath the idea of counting calories (since I eat very little prepared foods), but realize that portion control is just as important , or more. Also, learning what having enough food in my belly feels like. Drawing on all of your expert advice, can you tell me your thoughts if WW , or any diet program , can work for me?
I can't answer your questions about weight watchers (I count calories). However, I love to cook myself. I consider it a challenge to make good food with fewer calories that still taste great. I also don't consider that I'm eating diet food at all. I'm just eating better, and losing weight is a great side effect. I make most of what I eat from scratch (as well as most meals, soups, breads, salad dressings, jams, etc.) and although calorie counting can be a pain at first, it becomes second hand after a while.
i love ww, i feel that it is saving my life. for me, i've tried every diet under the sun, even some green tea diet. this is not my first go around with ww. when i was 13 my mom took me and i hated it. i am now 35 and it is a completely different program. i honestly think it is easy and convenient, i can cook or not cook, i can make quick meals or spend hours in the kitchen, it doesnt matter, as long as i can attach a point value to the food i can have it. i never go hungry, and i never feel deprived.
it is a little tricky at first trying to figure out the plan and what i liked and didnt like, but now almost 7 months into it i find it has become second nature. i can definately see myself doing this for the rest of my life, and i am completely okay with that.
good luck to you, wishing you the best
p.s. i need those weekly meetings for motivation, and it keeps me honest, but i think it depends on the individual. what works for me may not work for another and visa versa.
Last edited by pipernoswiper; 05-15-2008 at 11:04 AM.
All foods have calories whether they are prepared or not. I believe in calorie counting , I just need a good book with calorie counts, I use Calorie King, or you can get information on line, there are many good sites for this. With calorie counting you can eat anything you want if you are willing to give up the calories. I plan all my meals ahead and keep a food diary,this really is not very time consuming. I did this while I was losing and am still doing it to maintain my loss. It is flexible , reliable and free. I have done other plans and find calorie counting works best for me,
Hi Kids. I am ready to do an official diet, but have questions for those who know the ropes. From what I've heard, WW is the best 'lifestyle' diet, which isn't about selling food, etc. and is the most successful in using long term. Is this correct?
I don't have any statistics, but I can tell you that I can see myself following this program for the rest of my life. I'm that comfortable with it. I've been following it now for a year, and although I did need to make adjustments to my eating (obviously) I found WW slipped into my life with a decent amount of ease. I can and do eat what I want and count the points for the food. I do warn that it's not only about the points, it is about what you eat, but no foods are off limits.
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Is the on-line as good as the actual town meetings?
I've been told (at my meetings) that those who attend meetings are more likely to stick with the program, and more likely to be successful. However, once again, I have no statistics to back this up. I can, though, see how it is true. The group really helps me out.
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I am a chef (okay, not professional, but I won't ever stop cooking my WholeFoodsFromScratch, but realize I need to learn to cook with losing weight (then maintaining) in mind ~ so can it work for me?
Absolutely! You can modify some recipes to be lower in points, or simply make sure to properly count the points & portions for the recipes you're using now. It's that simple.
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I absolutely loath the idea of counting calories (since I eat very little prepared foods), but realize that portion control is just as important , or more. Also, learning what having enough food in my belly feels like. Drawing on all of your expert advice, can you tell me your thoughts if WW , or any diet program , can work for me?
I don't want to scare you off, but I do want to say that counting points is VERY similar to counting calories. Points involves calories. Although most points are easy to remember for frequently eaten foods. (A medium sized apple... 1 point) Even if you make certain recipes frequently, you can plan out the portion and points once... write it down and then have the info again the next time you cook it. (3 oz of chicken... 3 points)
WW does have another program. Core. Core is different, but many people like it. Brief overview: No points counting needed. You have a list of foods that you are allowed to eat (quite healthy foods, mostly from the fruit & vegetable & meat kingdom, not a lot of boxed things). You simply eat foods from the list when you are hungry until you are satisfied. There are some points you are given for times that you wish to eat something that isn't on the list. You just have to plan for it. Core is a little more intuitive, because you must eat mindfully & be aware of your stomach and how full it is. You can, however, apply these lessons to point counting... but on Core it is the focus.
I hope that helped some! Feel free to ask more questions (or to PM me) if you'd like!
I am not on the online program or go to meetings because I have a very busy life with my 10-month-old son and I play a LOT of softball. I have been doing it since April 7, 2008, and I have lost 18 pounds. My friend is doing the same thing and looked great. I have tried Atkins and didn't last one month and realized the only reason I had lost weight was because I was bored eating the same old foods. I decided to try the low-fat route since low carb didn't work for me long term.
I read about the rules on a few different WW websites, like Dottie's and this one. I got the WW formula online. I can't believe how long I have lasted this time. I will admit, I fall into old habits easily. I try not to eat a lot of carbs past 4:00 p.m. I stay away from white bread, rice, and a lot of starches. But other than that, I pretty much eat what I want. It truly is all about weighing and measuring your food. I eat tons of fruit and vegis and lean meats. Keeping track of my points is easy for me too; it helps to feel accountable.
I have 10 pounds to go until I lose enough to hit my short goal and 20 until my long-term goal. Good luck!
I don't have any statistics, but I can tell you that I can see myself following this program for the rest of my life. I'm that comfortable with it.... WW does have another program. Core. Core is different, but many people like it. Brief overview: No points counting needed. You have a list of foods that you are allowed to eat (quite healthy foods, mostly from the fruit & vegetable & meat kingdom, not a lot of boxed things). You simply eat foods from the list when you are hungry until you are satisfied. There are some points you are given for times that you wish to eat something that isn't on the list. You just have to plan for it. Core is a little more intuitive, because you must eat mindfully & be aware of your stomach and how full it is. You can, however, apply these lessons to point counting... but on Core it is the focus.
Thanks everybody, but this little bit draws me in. So, core is the most rigid, but perhaps the best lifestyle ? Looks like I can still cook for my hard workin' husband, but begin my diet (say, first 20 pounds) with the fastest guarenteed plan, just eating separate foods at dinner say (but mostly vegies anyway, is a habit I wanted to get into) ~ and ultimately use the more flexible and easy to live with program ~ the flex program for the rest?
When I read that you are very into Whole Foods, the first thing that popped into mind was the Core program. Seems to me that if you are all about preparing healthy foods and use very little in prepared foods, Core could work for you. You eat as much as you want off of the Core lists...no measuring, weighing, counting needed. Then you use those 35 flex points that everyone gets if you want goodies or certain things that are not on the Core foods lists. And I think after a week or two of trying Core you decide that the Flex plan might be better, you can change.
I am following the Flex plan, but either plan really is great. WW has been around a long time, and is backed up by a lot of scientific research. I went to the first meeting to get the basic materials and a baseline weight. I went to the next weigh-in to make sure our new scale was in-sync with the WW scale. But I've been doing it at home ever since. I won't say "on my own," because I come here for a lot of support!
Meetings are great for a lot of people, but just aren't what others need. Maybe it's the way the meeting went in our area, but for me, the information at the first meeting was already something I knew, and the next meeting looked as if it was going to be more that I already knew. I'm not a good in-life meetings gal. With the support at 3FC, and especially over at the Weight Watchers forum, I'm getting the great help that people get from the meetings.
But for some, they really need the meetings. One lady in front of me in line was re-registering. She had lost a lot awhile ago, but stopped coming to meetings and ended up re-gaining her weight. She told me she realized she needs the meetings to keep her honest, to keep her on track.
My suggestion, especially if you're not sure, is to see first if there is a registration fee discount in your area right now. This will make it cheap to start up and see what you think. There was one running in our area until May 10. But before that there had been another one. It waived the $25 registration fee, and all I had to pay was the $15 1st meeting fee. The leader will take new members aside at the end of the meeting to explain both Weight Watchers plans. You can decide then if you think the meetings will be what you need. If you keep up there, you'll get a lot of information and will get to know other members. One thing I liked was when a member got up and wrote her food journal/points tally for the day, on the chalkboard. Then the leader looked at where she had gotten in her important foods (dairy, fruits/veggies, healthy oils). People could ask her questions if they wanted to.
Ultimately, I ended up ordering the deluxe At-Home kit from the Weight Watchers website. In looking at it, I realized that the At-Home startup booklet has the same brochures in it that I would have been getting at meetings. So I'm trying to take a little more time to read those sections. I count my own weigh-in the same day each week. And I'm at the WW forum here a lot now!
Good luck deciding! But I do have a feeling that Core might work out well for you, in your particular situation.
Thanks everybody, but this little bit draws me in. So, core is the most rigid, but perhaps the best lifestyle ? Looks like I can still cook for my hard workin' husband, but begin my diet (say, first 20 pounds) with the fastest guarenteed plan, just eating separate foods at dinner say (but mostly vegies anyway, is a habit I wanted to get into) ~ and ultimately use the more flexible and easy to live with program ~ the flex program for the rest?
Core is most rigid on your food choices, but is less rigid on quantities of those foods, as you can have unlimited amounts of them (as long as they're Core). As for it being the best lifestyle, actually Flex can be just as good a lifestyle as Core, if you eat the kinds of foods on the Core list anyway. Honestly, the healthier, lower-fat, higher-fiber foods are going to use up the fewest points anyway!
And really, you can switch between the two plans, I think on a weekly basis, if you want to. I believe when I started WW, the leader said that you're free to change as you want, but they recommend staying on one or the other for a whole week before changing. Some people change between the two if they've hit a plateau. The leader at our meeting told us newbies that she had recently had a member who lost something like 80 lbs on Flex, then hit a plateau. They suggested that she give Core a try, so she did, and it jump-started her loss again. She lost 5 lbs the first week she was on Core.
But, yes, you could do that. Core for the first 20 lbs, then change to Flex, or vice versa. Flex takes a little more work in keeping track of your points, but it IS an easy plan to live with, since nothing is truly off limits. You just have to watch those points!! I blew 15 points one time a couple weeks ago on a cup of Turkey Hill Tastykake ice cream!! Yikes!! Thank GOODNESS for the bonus points!!
I just wanted to say I love WW. I have tried Eating for Life, which I stuck to well until I had an emergency surgery and got off-track and just never got back on. I have tried South Beach numerous times, Slim Fast a couple times, and YOU: On a Diet once or twice. I can never seem to stick to any of them for a long time. But with Weight Watchers...I've been off track a bit this week, but I still have the motivation to get back on track! I joined on April 8. So, not too bad for a gal who hasn't made it past about 5 days - 1 week on South Beach or YOU...had stuck it out on Slim Fast a month or two...but started having a LOT of second thoughts about all the corn syrup in the bars and such. As of last week, I was down about 7.6 lbs since starting. This week I'm up a pound or two because of water retention from traveling last weekend, and PMS this week, and not being as on-plan as I should be. But I'm excited about losing that again, and more!
You can start on Core and switch to Flex. And vice-versa. However! You must select a plan at the end of the week/beginning of the next. You can't "switch horses" in the middle of the week.
My meeting is on Thursday, so, for example, I might decide tonight that I'd like to try out Core (I'm on Flex now). I'd follow Core for seven days, and then decide if I like Core and wish to continue with it for another week, or if I'd like to return to Flex. It doesn't need to be anything official, no forms to fill out for switching or anything. Just make sure that you understand the program thoroughly before starting it.
I'd suggest going to at least one meeting. Stay until the end, let the leader explain the programs and answer your questions. You might like meetings and want to stay, you might want to give it a try without meetings. You'll figure it out.
Honestly, Core sounds like it's right up your alley! You might even start cooking Core foods for your husband and he might not even know! It's a little more rigid with what foods, but the selection is really healthy... , and they do stress this: it's eat until satisfied not full. It means you'll eat more often in the day, but less overall from what you're used to.
I believe you need to really understand yourself to find the right plan for you. I can't tell you what will work best for you. Heck, it took me years to find out what works for me. I think I'm finally starting to figure it out (after only 36 years of dieting, I guess I'm a slow learner in this regard).
I have learned that the plans that have been the most effective for me, are those that include group support and a weekly weigh-in. Building in rewards, and keeping a food journal, a daily weigh-in at home are additional helpful tools.
For me, that means TOPS (taking off pounds sensibly) a non-profit group that allows you to follow any sensible food plan (changing the plan if and as you need to). The plan they endorse (in their guidebook that is an optional $15 purchase) is an exchange plan. Many in our group are former WW members and still follow the point or Core system. I think TOPS has most of the advantages of WW, with fewer of the disadvantages. The cost is a fraction of WW, chapters are self-governing so members have more input into how the clubs are run, rewards and prizes are given for weight loss successes, and groups become quite close-knit. The support system is more personal. Often members send cards or emails of support, etc.
I very much appreciate all your advice ! I am looking into the Core Plan, as several of you pointed out, is about healthy food for those who cook from whole foods. If I can hone my tastes for the basic food pyramid with using whole foods, then I have mastered a lifestyle of health. I think that makes the most sense, at least for a few months, and the Summer Months are the easiest ! If I go to the Flex Plan later, then it would be for holidays season, and maintenance. Though the CORE looks like the healthiest, it may be a bit spartan for my very big passion for deserts (healthy, low sugar versions that is)
For me, I need more of a list w/ guidelines, as I really can't see myself going to meetings, I abhor trips to town (really am a hermit!). Besides, the way I see it, everything I do , I must do For Life... and I certainly do not want to commit money and time to meetings for the rest of my days. I really am not seeing the point in paying money for someone to tell me what I can read, or weigh me, as I do that every morning, (and also measure myself , have the tape hanging right next to the scale). I just need a tried and true written guideline to follow, to help me when my head gets fuzzy with craving. And the support and motivation you very generous people here give.
Can any of you recommend a *single* decent book of WW which sums it all up... or better, just chart/list of which are the foods w/ amounts that weight watchers 'core plan' is about ? I found a list on line, but not sure if this is a joke... it's just food, simple healthy food. To me it's like... "duh?"
The list I found :
Vegetables and fruits
Soups (non-creamy)
Whole Wheat Pasta, Brown Rice, Potatoes and Grains
High Fiber and other cereals without added sugar
Lean Meats, poultry, fish and eggs
Fat-Free Milk Products
Healthy Oils
Condiments
Coffee, Tea and sugar-free beverages
Last edited by Hermit Girl; 05-16-2008 at 10:12 AM.
I also like the idea of Core Plan right now, as watermelon is in season, and eating lots of it is my idea of a great way to go. It was a key food when I lost 23 pounds two summers ago. Another reason for me to do the Core Plan, is I really need to eat every couple of hours or I seem to get low blood sugar and that is NOT good for my motivation, as it triggers major pig-outs.
Actually the best book to have is the one they give out at meetings. Even if you abhor going into town for meetings, I still do recommend going to just the first one to get all your materials and to allow the leader to be able to explain it all in person. (Then you get to ask questions right there, and of course we online would be able to clarify and questions later.)
That list you found is.. yeah, the basic lists of foods allowed, and yes, the list is pretty much like "duh." But Core has a little more to it than just the food list. (Which is, again, why I recommend just the first meeting.)
There are the 8 Good Health Guidelines, which recommends how much of certain foods you get in a day. On Core you're allowed 2 tsp of healthy oil a day for "free" as part of the plan, but then any other oil is taken out of the weekly Flex Points you are allowed (to count things that you'd like to eat that aren't part of the plan). A handful of other things.
If you really, really don't want to go to any meetings, you can order materials from the WW website, or even eBay. And I'm sure someone in the WW Core area would be more than thrilled to explain it as it should be followed. (I don't want to give out any misinformation since I don't follow Core.)
hey i've not long started weight watchers and i'm a chef (or was up untill about 3 months ago when i got a new job... in a bakery this time - not so good for dieting lmao!) but i think being able to cook helps you because its amazing what you can make thats got low points - my first week i lived on homemade tomato soup (0points on flex!!!!!) i never felt hungry at all - and veggie stiry fries too!! mm! i think weight watchers is good cos it teaches you to look at food more closely - i used to just look at calories but didnt really think of saturated fats in food!!!!
also i think going to the classes is good (maybe cos i'm cheap!!) because i tend to think that if i'm spending that much a week to get weighed in rather than just buying scales i better get something for my money (weight loss) lol
Not sure if WW (or any diet program) is for me... can you help?
It's a little more rigid with what foods, but the selection is really healthy... , and they do stress this: it's eat until satisfied not full. It means you'll eat more often in the day, but less overall from what you're used to.
